Tubing centralizer attachment for well spider



Nov. 21, 1967 3,353,235 1 TUBING CENTRALIZER ATTACHMENT FOR WELL SPIDER F. L. ADAMS Filed July 19. 1965 Frederick ,Lee' Ad'clms ATTORNEY United States Patent A 3,353,235 TUBING CENTRALIZER ATTACHMENT FQR WELL SPIDER Frederick Lee Adams, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Dresser Industries, Inc., Dallas, Tex, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 19, 1965, Ser. No. 473,125 7 Claims. (1. 24-263) ABSTRACT 9F THE DISCLOSURE A well spider for supporting an elongated pipe extending into a well bore, the spider having a central passageway extending therethrough that is arranged to encircle the elongated pipe. The well spider also includes a plurality of hingedly connected slip segments movable into the central passageway into holding engagement with the pipe and a centralizer member having a resilient edge that extends over the central passageway in engagement with the pipe to hold the pipe centered in the passageway, whereby the slip segments uniformly engage the pipe when the slips are moved into holding engagement therewith.

This invention is concerned with a well spider and is particularly concerned with means for centralizing and protecting against damage to the tubing as it is lowered through the spider, and to assure that the tubing will be centralized as the teeth are brought into engagement therewith to thereby prevent damage to the tubing.

The present invention is an improvement in that type of well spider disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,890,513, issued May 23, 1955, to John J. Lane.

The type of well spider disclosed in said patent includes a plurality of hinged teeth supporting segments, which are moved into encircling and engaging relationship to the pipe by movement along a tapered entry surface into the body.

Difficulty has been encountered in the use of such a spider in that frequently the pipe is not centered in the passage through the bowl so that as the slip segments are moved into engagement therewith the slips will not uniformly engage the pipe, thereby, in many instances, crimping and distorting the pipe.

The present invention is intended to overcome the foregoing problem and others by providing an attachment for such a well spider which engages the tubing as it is lowered through the well spider body and centers same therein so that the slips will uniformly engage same, and prevent crimping and damage thereto.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the invention to provide means attachable to a well spider which will engage and center the tubing therein so that the spider teeth will uniformly engage same.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a centering attachment for a well spider, which has a resilient surface thereon so as to prevent damage to the tubing and couplings between joints of the tubing as the tubing is lowered therethrough.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such a centering and protector device, which is so constructed as to be reversible so that the device may be employed to centralize two different O.D. ranges of tubing. The device may be reversed by simply removing the bolts which detachably secure same to the well spider gate. 2

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a centering and protecting device wherein the resilient protector material may be quickly and easily changed after it is worn.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed specification hereinafter following and by referring to the drawing annexed hereto.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is shown in the attached drawing wherein:

FIGURE I is a perspective view of the well spider assembly and bowl, and showing the tubing centering and protecting device attached to the upper surface of the hinged gate of the bowl;

FIGURE 11 is a top perspective view of the tubing protector centralizer attachment member;

FIGURE III is a top plan view of the tubing spider assembly with the centering and protector device attached thereto, and showing the tubing centered therein; and

FIGURE -IV is a cross-sectional elevational view taken along the line IVIV of FIGURE III.

Numeral references are employed to indicate the various parts shown in the drawing and like numerals indicate like parts throughout the various figures of the drawing.

The numeral 1 indicates generally the tubing spider bowl, which has a tapered entry surface 1a arranged to receive and guide into the central passage 1b the hinged slip segments 2, 3, and 4.

Slip teeth 5 are provided in the semi-circular grooves 5a on the inner sides of the slip segments, said slip teeth normally having semi-circular shaped, sharpened edges on the inner sides thereof, which penetrate and grippingly engage the tubing when the slip segments are brought into engagement therewith in the manner hereinafter described.

The slip segments 2, 3, and 4 are hingedly attached together by interengaging hinge sections 6'.

Each slip segment 2, 3, and 4 has an outer tapered edge surface 7 thereon which is arranged to slide along the tapered surface 1a of the bowl 1 when the slip segments are lowered into the bowl so as to move the slip segments 2, 3, and 4 inwardly of the bowl.

The slip segments 2, 3, and 4 are moved inwardly and raised upwardly by means of a handle 8 which includes as a part thereof a foot pedal surface 8a so that the device can be operated either by hand or by the foot pressed downwardly against the foot pedal 8a.

A thrust linkage is provided for raising and lowering the slip segments 2, 3, and 4, which includes the links 9 and 10-, which are pivoted to the ears 11 and one of the slip segments by the pivot bolts 13 and 12, respectively. The inner end 8b of handle 8 is curved downwardly and pivotally connected at its lower end between ears 11 by a pivot pin 13a. =By pressing downwardly on the handle 8 the slip segments 2, 3, and 4 may be raised out of the bowl 1, and by moving the handle 8 upwardly, the slip segments 2, 3, and 4 may belowered into the bowl 1 along the tapered surface 14, through the thrust linkage indicated above. The inner end of the handle 8 is pivoted at 15 to the thrust link .10, which thrust link 10 is pivoted at 14 to the link 9 so as to impart motion between the handle 8 and the linkage.

The base for the bowl 1 is generally indicated at 16, which base may be secured to the tubing head at the well head in order to mount the tubing spider with relation to the well so thatit is in position to engage and support tubing as it is being lowered into the well, or withdrawn therefrom. 1 a v A gate 19 is hingedly attached to the ears 18 extendin-g outwardly of the bowl 1 by means of a hinge pin 22, which passes through aligned holes in the lugs 20 and 21 on the gate and the cars 18 on the bowl.

The gate 19 has lugs 19a and 19b on the other side thereof, which have aligned passages 23 therein arranged to coincide with the gate pin holes 17 and 17a on the body.

The gate 19 may be swung inwardly about the hinge pin 9 22 and a pin 24 may be inserted through the aligned passages 17a and 23 to thereby close the passage 42 through which the tubing 41 may be passed when the tubing spider is installed on the well.

The pin 24 is attached to the base 16 by chain 24a which has a hook 24b on the outer end thereof, which may be passed through a hole 240 in order to prevent the loss of said pin when not in use.

The gate 19 includes an upward and inward extension 25 thereon, which is terminated at its upper end by a semi-circular recess 26. When the gate 19 is in closed position the semi-circular recess substantially coincides with the outer surface of the bore 1b through the bowl 1 in order to provide a guide for the pipe.

Surmounted on the upper surface of the guide extension 25 is a resilient edged centralizer device, generally indicated at 27.

Such centralizer device 27 includes a resilient body 28 made of resilient rubber or plastic composition, which is formed or molded to provide channels 29 and 31 on opposite sides thereof.

A rigid plate is disposed in the channel 29, and a rigid plate 32 is disposed in the channel 31. Aligned, offset located bolt receiving passages 33 and 34 are provided through the upper and lower plates 30 and 32 and the resilient member 28.

Bolts 35 are passed through the aligned passages 33 and 34, said bolts having recessed heads 36 thereon, and are retained in place by nuts 37 threaded thereon. The bolts pass through aligned passages 38a provided through a ledge 38 on the upper end of the gate extension 25 in order to detachably secure the centralizer member 27 to the upper surface of the gate extension 25.

Edge surfaces 39 and 40 are provided on the resilient body 28 so as to present a resilient surface having a plane surface 28a, which is normal to the axis of the centralizer 27 and plane surfaces 28b and 280 diagonally disposed with reference to surface 28a.

It will be noted that the passages 33 and 34 through centralizer member 27 are offset with reference to the longitudinal axis thereof so that by removing the bolts 35 the same may be reversed in order to change the distance which the edge thereof extends into the bore of the spider body to thereby permit the centralizing of two different O.D. ranges of pipe.

The operation and function of the device hereinbefore described is as follows:

The pipe 41 is inserted through the passage 42 and the gate 19 is closed and secured in place by inserting the pin 24 through the aligned passages 17, 17a and 23. It will be noted from FIGURE III that the centralizer member 27 is so positioned on the upper surface of the guide extension 25 that the pipe 41 will engage the resilient surface 39 as the pipe is raised and lowered therein to centralize the pipe in the bore 1b of the body 1. Therefore, when the handle 8 is raised to lower the slip segments 2, 3, and 4 into the bowl and into gripping engagement with the pipe, the slip teeth 5 will uniformly engage the pipe and prevent crimping and damage thereto.

Furthermore, damage to the pipe and the joints thereof is prevented because it is not engageable with metal surfaces of the gate and bowl, but bumps against the rubber surface 39 or 40 as it passes therethrough.

The member 27 can be quickly removed for replacement or reversal of the surfaces 39 and 40.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. In a well spider for supporting a pipe that extends therethrough into a well bore, said spider including a bowl member having a central passageway therethrough, a plurality of hingedly connected slip segments pivotally mounted on said bowl member and lowerable into said passageway into holding engagement with the pipe, there being a passage through the wall of the bowl member, and a gate hingedly attached to the bowl member at one side of the passage arranged to close the passage, said gate having an upwardly extending portion; a centralizer member attached to the upwardly extending portion of the gate, said centralizer member having a resilient inner side extending over the central passageway when said gate is in the closed position engageable with the pipe to hold the pipe substantially centered in the central passageway whereby said slip segments uniformly engage the pipe.

2. As an article of manufacture a pipe centralizer attachable to a tubing spider for centering pipe therein; a body of resilient material having resilient edges, there being longitudinal channels on opposite sides of the body; a rigid plate disposed in each channel whereby the resilient edges of the body extend beyond the edges of the plates; and bolt receiving passages extending non-centrally through the plates and the body.

3. The article of manufacture called for in claim 2 wherein the resilient edges of the body have a plane surface normal to the longitudinal axis of the centralizer and plane surfaces on each side of said normal surface which are diagonally disposed with reference to the normal surface.

4. As an article of manufacture a pipe centralizer attachable to a tubing spider for centering pipe therein; a body of resilient material having resilient edges; there being longitudinal channels on opposite sides of the body; a rigid plate disposed in each channel whereby the resilient edges of the body extend beyond the edges of the plates; and bolt receiving passages extending through the plates and the body.

5. In a well spider for supporting a pipe extending therethrough into a well bore, the spider including a bowl member having a central passageway therethrough, a plurality of hingedly connected slip segments lowerable into said passage into holding engagement with said pipe, there being a passage through the wall of the bowl memher, and a gate hingedly attached to the bowl member at one side of the passage arranged to close the passage, said gate having an upwardly extending portion thereon; a centralizer member attached to the upwardly extending portion of the gate, said centralizer member including a body of resilient material having resilient edges, there being longitudinal channels on opposite sides of the body; a rigid plate disposed in each channel whereby the resilient edges of the body extend beyond the edges of the plate; and means for securing the plates to the body, one of the resilient edges of the body being engageable with the pipe when the gate is in the closed position to hold the pipe substantially centered in the central passageway whereby said slip segments uniformly engage the pipe when the slip segments are lowered into the central passageway.

6. The combination called for in claim 5 wherein the means for securing the plates to the body are bolts passing through the centralizer member and the upper surface of the upwardly extending portion of the gate whereby the resilient edges of the body may be reversed upon removal of said bolts.

7. The combination called for in claim 5 wherein the means for securing the plates to the body are bolts passing non-centrally through the centralizer member and the upper surface of the upwardly extending portion of the gate whereby the resilient edges of the body may be reversed upon removal of said bolts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,065,130 12/1936 Gran et al. 24-263.5 2,281,128 4/ 1942 Wilson 24249 2,410,589 11/1946 Segelhorst 285 3,149,391 91-1 964 Boster 24263.5

OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Primary Examiner. BQNNQ? GRIFFIN. n r- 

4. AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE A PIPE CENTRALIZER ATTACHABLE TO A TUBING SPIDER FOR CENTERING PIPE THEREIN; A BODY OF RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING RESILIENT EDGES; THERE BEING LONGITUDINAL CHANNELS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BODY; A RIGID PLATE DISPOSED IN EACH CHANNEL WHEREBY THE RESILIENT EDGES OF THE BODY EXTEND BEYOND THE EDGES OF THE PLATES; AND BOLT RECEIVING PASSAGES EXTENDING THROUGH THE PLATES AND THE BODY. 